25% birth & death certificates issued during SIR in 3 border districts found fake, shows Suvendu Govt's data

A massive birth and death certificate fraud has come to light in West Bengal following extensive document verification conducted by administrative authorities. Investigations revealed that approximately 25 percent of birth and death certificates issued during the previous Trinamool Congress regime in three border districts—Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, and Malda—are fraudulent. State authorities currently have over 5.41 lakh certificates under scrutiny, including 2.40 lakh in Murshidabad, 1.53 lakh in Uttar Dinajpur, and 1.48 lakh in Malda, following an unprecedented surge in issuances during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

In response to the widespread irregularities, the state administration announced that elected civic leaders, including panchayat heads, municipal chairpersons, and mayors, will no longer hold the authority to issue birth and death certificates. Going forward, only designated permanent government officials will handle the verification and issuance of these legal records. The state government is issuing a formal notification to standardize this administrative shift and integrate data processing with central databases.

Concurrently, state police and investigative teams launched coordinated raids across multiple municipal corporations and panchayat offices, including facilities in Kolkata, Howrah, Baduria, and Siliguri. Authorities are examining historical registers, crematorium records, and civic birth logs across urban areas like Garden Reach, Metiaburuj, Rajabazar, and Tiljala to trace the network behind the fraudulent document racket.